Blood and blood products save lives and are a part of the WHO Essential Medicines List. Access to... more Blood and blood products save lives and are a part of the WHO Essential Medicines List. Access to safe and quality-assured blood and blood products are essential for health systems strengthening and it is a global concern. Their use is associated with infectious and immunologic risks. At global level, many resolutions have been adopted by the World Health Assembly that urged Member States to ensure regulatory control of access to quality-assured blood and blood products along the entire transfusion chain. The WHO has also developed an action framework to advance universal access to blood.As part of the implementation of these resolutions and guidelines, the WHO Regional Office for Africa and some partners provided support to countries in the region to strengthen their capacity to establish an effective blood regulatory system through organization of regional training workshops on blood regulation, benchmarking of blood regulatory systems, internship at Paul Ehrlich Institut and establishment of the African Blood Regulators Forum.The current status of blood regulation reveals that there are weak transfusion legislation and blood regulatory systems in most African countries, since many national blood transfusion services still rely on self-regulation. However, the national regulatory authorities have reached the maturity level 3 in two countries (Ghana and Tanzania), but only the experience from Ghana has been described in this paper. Like in other low- and middle-income countries, the regulatory systems for associated substances and medical devices including IVDs are not well established in the African region. Misunderstanding by different stakeholders, lack of legislation that provides legal basis, weak capacity and insufficiency of resources are main challenges facing countries to establish an effective national blood regulatory system. To address these challenges, strong advocacy with governments and collaboration with partners are needed to strengthen national blood regulatory systems.
The phase III Transfusion and Treatment of severe anaemia in African Children Trial (TRACT) found... more The phase III Transfusion and Treatment of severe anaemia in African Children Trial (TRACT) found that conservative management of uncomplicated severe anaemia [haemoglobin (Hb) 40-60 g/l] was safe, and that transfusion volume (20 vs. 30 ml/kg whole blood equivalent) for children with severe anaemia (Hb <60 g/l) had strong but opposing effects on mortality, depending on fever status (>37Á5°C). In 2020 a stakeholder meeting of paediatric and blood transfusion groups from Africa reviewed the results and additional analyses. Among all 3196 children receiving an initial transfusion there was no evidence that nutritional status, presence of shock, malaria parasite burden or sickle cell disease status influenced outcomes or modified the interaction with fever status on volume required. Fever status at the time of ordering blood was a reliable determinant of volume required for optimal outcome. Elevated heart and respiratory rates normalised irrespective of transfusion volume and without diuretics. By consensus, a transfusion management algorithm was developed, incorporating three additional measurements of Hb post-admission, alongside clinical monitoring. The proposed algorithm should help clinicians safely implement findings from TRACT. Further research should assess its implementation in routine clinical practice.
This research study investigates the impact of top management team diversity (TMT) on the quality... more This research study investigates the impact of top management team diversity (TMT) on the quality of acquisition decisions as reflected in announcement returns to acquirer shareholders. Firms pursue acquisitions with the strategic rationale of increasing shareholder value, improving market share, and achieving economies of scale. Despite these compelling motivations, acquisitions have not always yielded the desired results in terms of increasing shareholder value. This is generally attributed to poor decision making on the part of the TMT. Upper Echelons Theory suggests that TMT decision quality is enhanced when team members come from diverse backgrounds as they bring diversity of opinions and resource knowledge which allow for a more robust sharing of ideas and viable alternatives. Therefore, this study focuses on TMT diversity traits the dimensions of gender diversity, age diversity, job diversity, cultural diversity, tenure diversity, and political affiliation diversity and how t...
I am most thankful unto the Almighty God for His continual Love, Protection and unmerited Grace I... more I am most thankful unto the Almighty God for His continual Love, Protection and unmerited Grace I have experienced along my academic timeline. Glory be to His Name in the Highest. My sincere gratitude to my supervisor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Lappus, for his continual dedicated support and directions, which made my work successful. I am also thankful to my second supervisor: Dr. Jörg Becker, for his contribution in diverse ways. Special gratitude to the Director of Renewable Energy of MOEP, Mr. Wisdom Togobo, for his timely support and directions, and the entire Renewable Energy Department of MOEP for their warmest reception and assistance during my research stay. My heartfelt gratitude also go to my family who have always been supportive, especially my uncle, Nana Aidoo, for his financial support and advice, and my mother, Emma Aidoo for her support and prayers. I cannot thank you enough, but am proud of you and God Bless you all. To my formal lecturers at the university of Cape Coast, I say a big thank you for the discipline you instilled in me. Gloria Millicent Nana Yarquah, thank you for your love and support, am very proud of you; Martha Ofori.Kuragu, thank you for being a friend and a sister. There are many other important personalities who have contributed in diverse ways to this level of my education, God Bless you all.
Mentoring is considered a core component of academic medicine; the mentor is usually highly regar... more Mentoring is considered a core component of academic medicine; the mentor is usually highly regarded and guides the mentee in developing his or her own ideas leading to personal and professional development. Formal mentoring in postgraduate medical education is relatively new in most parts of Africa including Ghana. This study was designed to estimate the need for mentoring, its prevalence and impact among resident doctors at a Ghanaian Teaching Hospital. A cross sectional descriptive study using a piloted structured questionnaire of mentoring was carried out at the premier teaching hospital in Ghana. Resident doctors from the five departments with largest resident doctor populations were invited to participate in the study. The response rate was 61.1% with a mentoring prevalence of 39.7%. There was a largely unmet need for mentoring among resident doctors with majority of respondents preferring a formal mentoring relationship. Female doctors were more likely to have mentors and no ...
This study was carried out to assess the degradation and accumulation rates of fresh human excret... more This study was carried out to assess the degradation and accumulation rates of fresh human excreta and how addition of anal cleansing materials affect performance during vermicomposting by Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae. Vermicomposting setups consisting of two transparent containers (length 0.27 m, breadth 0.17 m and depth 0.12 m) stacked on top of each other were installed and operated under laboratory conditions. Earthworms, Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae, were obtained from Green Cycle Technologies Limited in Accra, Ghana and the species verified and cultured before use. Fresh human excreta for feeding the experimental setups was collected from an Enviro-loo public toilet and 13 g applied to the setups daily. Similar setups were fed with 0.3 g of anal cleansing material in addition to the fresh excreta. A setup without any earthworms (NW) was set up as a control. Physicochemical characteristics of vermicompost accumulating in the setups were determined weekly for 28 days using standard laboratory procedures while the sludge accumulated in the various setups were weighed and recorded daily. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Post-hoc LSD tests were conducted to determine whether the differences in results between the two earthworm species and among setups with and without anal cleansing materials were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). The study showed 12.3% and 26.2% reduction in volatile solids in EE (Eudrilus eugeniae and excreta only) and EF (Eisenia fetida and excreta only) while ash content increased indicating good degradation. The percentage mass reductions recorded at the end of the fourth week were 67.5%, 58.8% and 40.5% in systems EE, EF and NW respectively, while reductions of 73.7% and 68.5% were realized in EEA (Eudrilus eugeniae with excreta and toilet paper) and EFA (Eisenia fetida with excreta and toilet paper) respectively. There was greater amount of sludge accumulated in systems without earthworms, 0.00020 m3 (59.5%) in NW, than in systems with earthworms where 0.00011 m3 (32.5%) and 0.00014 m3 (41.2%) were recorded for EE and EF respectively. The rate of accumulation in vermibeds EE and EF was relatively higher than in vermibeds with excreta and toilet paper (EEA and EFA). EEA and EFA recorded accumulation rates of 0.00009 m3 (26.3%) and 0.00011 m3 (31.5%) respectively. Complete removal of helminth eggs was not achieved in any of the treatment systems.
Background: Africans have an increased risk for multiple myeloma (MM) compared to other races. Re... more Background: Africans have an increased risk for multiple myeloma (MM) compared to other races. Reports from Africa are few and involve small cohorts, but suggest significant epidemiological and clinical differences from Caucasian patients. Objective: This report describes the clinic-pathological features of MM patients in Ghana at diagnosis, and the factors affecting their survival. Methods: A retrospective review of 169 MM cases diagnosed in a Ghanaian tertiary hospital from 2002-2016. Results: Median age was 58 years, with 29% ≤50 years. One-third presented >12 months after onset of symptoms, which included bone pain (96%), anaemia (67%), weight loss (55%) and fractures (44%). Myeloma-related tissue impairment included hypercalcaemia (36%), renal impairment (33%), severe anaemia (52%) and osteolytic lesions (76%); 51.3% of patients were diagnosed in ISS Stage III. Median survival was 33 months; 1-year and 5-year overall survival were 51.6% and 15.5%, respectively. Neither the age at diagnosis nor the duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis correlated with prognosis. Median survival improved with early ISS stage, haemoglobin >8g/dL, plasmacytosis <20%, and normal creatinine and calcium levels. Conclusion: Early onset and late stage presentation are common at diagnosis of MM patients in Ghana, but do not affect survival. Studies into genetic associations are recommended.
Background: Bloodstream infections (BSI) remain a major cause of mortality in patients with malig... more Background: Bloodstream infections (BSI) remain a major cause of mortality in patients with malignancies. We present the first report on the microbiological profile of bacteraemia and fungaemia among cancer patients in Ghana. Methods: From January 2010 through December 2013, we retrospectively analyzed the spectrum of bloodstream pathogens in cancer patients from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana-focusing on multidrug resistant isolates (MDRs). Results: Overall BSI were confirmed in 22 % (n = 93/453) of total blood cultures. Our data highlights a co-dominance of Gram-negative (n = 49/93, 52.6 %) and Gram-positive (n = 40/93, 43.0 %) bacteria with the former less likely to infect children than adults [odds ratio (OR), 0.56; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.14-0.91; p value = 0.027]. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most isolated bacteria (30.1 %; n = 28/93). About 61 % (n = 25/41) of Enterobacteriaceae isolates were resistant to cefotaxime; a majority (n = 24/25, 96 %) of which were MDRs and mostly susceptible to amikacin and levofloxacin. Four (80 %) penicillin resistant streptococci were found; 2 of which were MDRs and sensitive to erythromycin and cefuroxime. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin resistant enterococci were not identified. In multivariate analysis, the Enterobacteriaceae compared to other organisms were significantly associated with multidrug resistance (adjusted OR, 33.6; 95 % CI 6.41-88.73; p value 0.001). Conclusion: MDRs, especially cefotaxime resistant Enterobacteriaceae, are common among patients with cancer in our institution but vary among different patient populations. The results show that empiric antibiotic treatment for cancer patients cannot be done effectively without regard for selective antimicrobial use based on local epidemiologic data.
Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a common, progressive, autosomal dominant neurocuta... more Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a common, progressive, autosomal dominant neurocutaneous disorder, are predisposed to malignancies. Several types of hematologic malignancies have been described in them. However, to date there has been no report to the best of our knowledge of a patient with NF1 developing chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We present an adult Ghanaian with NF1, who subsequently developed CML. Relevance of the case report is discussed.
In recent years, off-grid small-scale renewable energy technologies, particularly, solar PV syste... more In recent years, off-grid small-scale renewable energy technologies, particularly, solar PV systems have emerged as the plausible intervening solution for rural electricity supply in Ghana. However, the emerging solar PV solutions are exposed to the problem of being sustainable: after government and developing partners pull-out and hand over project to local users, the project only last few years of their life span. To investigate into this problem, the paper adopts a community solar system, a national project meant to be adopted as a standard for rural electrification in Ghana, for evaluation. Principal objectives of the paper are to identify the potential technical and socio-economic barriers of solar PV rural electrification, access the relevance of small-scale solar PV solutions in rural livelihood and determine if the community solar system project is worth recommending as national standard for rural electricity supply. The evaluation results reveal that frequent damage of syst...
In recent years, off-grid small-scale renewable energy technologies, particularly, solar PV syste... more In recent years, off-grid small-scale renewable energy technologies, particularly, solar PV systems have emerged as the plausible intervening solution for rural electricity supply in Ghana. However, the emerging solar PV solutions are exposed to the problem of being sustainable: after government and developing partners pull-out and hand over project to local users, the project only last few years of their life span. To investigate into this problem, the paper adopts a community solar system, a national project meant to be adopted as a standard for rural electrification in Ghana, for evaluation. Principal objectives of the paper are to identify the potential technical and socio-economic barriers of solar PV rural electrification, access the relevance of small-scale solar PV solutions in rural livelihood and determine if the community solar system project is worth recommending as national standard for rural electricity supply. The evaluation results reveal that frequent damage of syst...
Blood and blood products save lives and are a part of the WHO Essential Medicines List. Access to... more Blood and blood products save lives and are a part of the WHO Essential Medicines List. Access to safe and quality-assured blood and blood products are essential for health systems strengthening and it is a global concern. Their use is associated with infectious and immunologic risks. At global level, many resolutions have been adopted by the World Health Assembly that urged Member States to ensure regulatory control of access to quality-assured blood and blood products along the entire transfusion chain. The WHO has also developed an action framework to advance universal access to blood.As part of the implementation of these resolutions and guidelines, the WHO Regional Office for Africa and some partners provided support to countries in the region to strengthen their capacity to establish an effective blood regulatory system through organization of regional training workshops on blood regulation, benchmarking of blood regulatory systems, internship at Paul Ehrlich Institut and establishment of the African Blood Regulators Forum.The current status of blood regulation reveals that there are weak transfusion legislation and blood regulatory systems in most African countries, since many national blood transfusion services still rely on self-regulation. However, the national regulatory authorities have reached the maturity level 3 in two countries (Ghana and Tanzania), but only the experience from Ghana has been described in this paper. Like in other low- and middle-income countries, the regulatory systems for associated substances and medical devices including IVDs are not well established in the African region. Misunderstanding by different stakeholders, lack of legislation that provides legal basis, weak capacity and insufficiency of resources are main challenges facing countries to establish an effective national blood regulatory system. To address these challenges, strong advocacy with governments and collaboration with partners are needed to strengthen national blood regulatory systems.
The phase III Transfusion and Treatment of severe anaemia in African Children Trial (TRACT) found... more The phase III Transfusion and Treatment of severe anaemia in African Children Trial (TRACT) found that conservative management of uncomplicated severe anaemia [haemoglobin (Hb) 40-60 g/l] was safe, and that transfusion volume (20 vs. 30 ml/kg whole blood equivalent) for children with severe anaemia (Hb <60 g/l) had strong but opposing effects on mortality, depending on fever status (>37Á5°C). In 2020 a stakeholder meeting of paediatric and blood transfusion groups from Africa reviewed the results and additional analyses. Among all 3196 children receiving an initial transfusion there was no evidence that nutritional status, presence of shock, malaria parasite burden or sickle cell disease status influenced outcomes or modified the interaction with fever status on volume required. Fever status at the time of ordering blood was a reliable determinant of volume required for optimal outcome. Elevated heart and respiratory rates normalised irrespective of transfusion volume and without diuretics. By consensus, a transfusion management algorithm was developed, incorporating three additional measurements of Hb post-admission, alongside clinical monitoring. The proposed algorithm should help clinicians safely implement findings from TRACT. Further research should assess its implementation in routine clinical practice.
This research study investigates the impact of top management team diversity (TMT) on the quality... more This research study investigates the impact of top management team diversity (TMT) on the quality of acquisition decisions as reflected in announcement returns to acquirer shareholders. Firms pursue acquisitions with the strategic rationale of increasing shareholder value, improving market share, and achieving economies of scale. Despite these compelling motivations, acquisitions have not always yielded the desired results in terms of increasing shareholder value. This is generally attributed to poor decision making on the part of the TMT. Upper Echelons Theory suggests that TMT decision quality is enhanced when team members come from diverse backgrounds as they bring diversity of opinions and resource knowledge which allow for a more robust sharing of ideas and viable alternatives. Therefore, this study focuses on TMT diversity traits the dimensions of gender diversity, age diversity, job diversity, cultural diversity, tenure diversity, and political affiliation diversity and how t...
I am most thankful unto the Almighty God for His continual Love, Protection and unmerited Grace I... more I am most thankful unto the Almighty God for His continual Love, Protection and unmerited Grace I have experienced along my academic timeline. Glory be to His Name in the Highest. My sincere gratitude to my supervisor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Lappus, for his continual dedicated support and directions, which made my work successful. I am also thankful to my second supervisor: Dr. Jörg Becker, for his contribution in diverse ways. Special gratitude to the Director of Renewable Energy of MOEP, Mr. Wisdom Togobo, for his timely support and directions, and the entire Renewable Energy Department of MOEP for their warmest reception and assistance during my research stay. My heartfelt gratitude also go to my family who have always been supportive, especially my uncle, Nana Aidoo, for his financial support and advice, and my mother, Emma Aidoo for her support and prayers. I cannot thank you enough, but am proud of you and God Bless you all. To my formal lecturers at the university of Cape Coast, I say a big thank you for the discipline you instilled in me. Gloria Millicent Nana Yarquah, thank you for your love and support, am very proud of you; Martha Ofori.Kuragu, thank you for being a friend and a sister. There are many other important personalities who have contributed in diverse ways to this level of my education, God Bless you all.
Mentoring is considered a core component of academic medicine; the mentor is usually highly regar... more Mentoring is considered a core component of academic medicine; the mentor is usually highly regarded and guides the mentee in developing his or her own ideas leading to personal and professional development. Formal mentoring in postgraduate medical education is relatively new in most parts of Africa including Ghana. This study was designed to estimate the need for mentoring, its prevalence and impact among resident doctors at a Ghanaian Teaching Hospital. A cross sectional descriptive study using a piloted structured questionnaire of mentoring was carried out at the premier teaching hospital in Ghana. Resident doctors from the five departments with largest resident doctor populations were invited to participate in the study. The response rate was 61.1% with a mentoring prevalence of 39.7%. There was a largely unmet need for mentoring among resident doctors with majority of respondents preferring a formal mentoring relationship. Female doctors were more likely to have mentors and no ...
This study was carried out to assess the degradation and accumulation rates of fresh human excret... more This study was carried out to assess the degradation and accumulation rates of fresh human excreta and how addition of anal cleansing materials affect performance during vermicomposting by Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae. Vermicomposting setups consisting of two transparent containers (length 0.27 m, breadth 0.17 m and depth 0.12 m) stacked on top of each other were installed and operated under laboratory conditions. Earthworms, Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae, were obtained from Green Cycle Technologies Limited in Accra, Ghana and the species verified and cultured before use. Fresh human excreta for feeding the experimental setups was collected from an Enviro-loo public toilet and 13 g applied to the setups daily. Similar setups were fed with 0.3 g of anal cleansing material in addition to the fresh excreta. A setup without any earthworms (NW) was set up as a control. Physicochemical characteristics of vermicompost accumulating in the setups were determined weekly for 28 days using standard laboratory procedures while the sludge accumulated in the various setups were weighed and recorded daily. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Post-hoc LSD tests were conducted to determine whether the differences in results between the two earthworm species and among setups with and without anal cleansing materials were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). The study showed 12.3% and 26.2% reduction in volatile solids in EE (Eudrilus eugeniae and excreta only) and EF (Eisenia fetida and excreta only) while ash content increased indicating good degradation. The percentage mass reductions recorded at the end of the fourth week were 67.5%, 58.8% and 40.5% in systems EE, EF and NW respectively, while reductions of 73.7% and 68.5% were realized in EEA (Eudrilus eugeniae with excreta and toilet paper) and EFA (Eisenia fetida with excreta and toilet paper) respectively. There was greater amount of sludge accumulated in systems without earthworms, 0.00020 m3 (59.5%) in NW, than in systems with earthworms where 0.00011 m3 (32.5%) and 0.00014 m3 (41.2%) were recorded for EE and EF respectively. The rate of accumulation in vermibeds EE and EF was relatively higher than in vermibeds with excreta and toilet paper (EEA and EFA). EEA and EFA recorded accumulation rates of 0.00009 m3 (26.3%) and 0.00011 m3 (31.5%) respectively. Complete removal of helminth eggs was not achieved in any of the treatment systems.
Background: Africans have an increased risk for multiple myeloma (MM) compared to other races. Re... more Background: Africans have an increased risk for multiple myeloma (MM) compared to other races. Reports from Africa are few and involve small cohorts, but suggest significant epidemiological and clinical differences from Caucasian patients. Objective: This report describes the clinic-pathological features of MM patients in Ghana at diagnosis, and the factors affecting their survival. Methods: A retrospective review of 169 MM cases diagnosed in a Ghanaian tertiary hospital from 2002-2016. Results: Median age was 58 years, with 29% ≤50 years. One-third presented >12 months after onset of symptoms, which included bone pain (96%), anaemia (67%), weight loss (55%) and fractures (44%). Myeloma-related tissue impairment included hypercalcaemia (36%), renal impairment (33%), severe anaemia (52%) and osteolytic lesions (76%); 51.3% of patients were diagnosed in ISS Stage III. Median survival was 33 months; 1-year and 5-year overall survival were 51.6% and 15.5%, respectively. Neither the age at diagnosis nor the duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis correlated with prognosis. Median survival improved with early ISS stage, haemoglobin >8g/dL, plasmacytosis <20%, and normal creatinine and calcium levels. Conclusion: Early onset and late stage presentation are common at diagnosis of MM patients in Ghana, but do not affect survival. Studies into genetic associations are recommended.
Background: Bloodstream infections (BSI) remain a major cause of mortality in patients with malig... more Background: Bloodstream infections (BSI) remain a major cause of mortality in patients with malignancies. We present the first report on the microbiological profile of bacteraemia and fungaemia among cancer patients in Ghana. Methods: From January 2010 through December 2013, we retrospectively analyzed the spectrum of bloodstream pathogens in cancer patients from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana-focusing on multidrug resistant isolates (MDRs). Results: Overall BSI were confirmed in 22 % (n = 93/453) of total blood cultures. Our data highlights a co-dominance of Gram-negative (n = 49/93, 52.6 %) and Gram-positive (n = 40/93, 43.0 %) bacteria with the former less likely to infect children than adults [odds ratio (OR), 0.56; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.14-0.91; p value = 0.027]. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most isolated bacteria (30.1 %; n = 28/93). About 61 % (n = 25/41) of Enterobacteriaceae isolates were resistant to cefotaxime; a majority (n = 24/25, 96 %) of which were MDRs and mostly susceptible to amikacin and levofloxacin. Four (80 %) penicillin resistant streptococci were found; 2 of which were MDRs and sensitive to erythromycin and cefuroxime. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin resistant enterococci were not identified. In multivariate analysis, the Enterobacteriaceae compared to other organisms were significantly associated with multidrug resistance (adjusted OR, 33.6; 95 % CI 6.41-88.73; p value 0.001). Conclusion: MDRs, especially cefotaxime resistant Enterobacteriaceae, are common among patients with cancer in our institution but vary among different patient populations. The results show that empiric antibiotic treatment for cancer patients cannot be done effectively without regard for selective antimicrobial use based on local epidemiologic data.
Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a common, progressive, autosomal dominant neurocuta... more Patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a common, progressive, autosomal dominant neurocutaneous disorder, are predisposed to malignancies. Several types of hematologic malignancies have been described in them. However, to date there has been no report to the best of our knowledge of a patient with NF1 developing chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We present an adult Ghanaian with NF1, who subsequently developed CML. Relevance of the case report is discussed.
In recent years, off-grid small-scale renewable energy technologies, particularly, solar PV syste... more In recent years, off-grid small-scale renewable energy technologies, particularly, solar PV systems have emerged as the plausible intervening solution for rural electricity supply in Ghana. However, the emerging solar PV solutions are exposed to the problem of being sustainable: after government and developing partners pull-out and hand over project to local users, the project only last few years of their life span. To investigate into this problem, the paper adopts a community solar system, a national project meant to be adopted as a standard for rural electrification in Ghana, for evaluation. Principal objectives of the paper are to identify the potential technical and socio-economic barriers of solar PV rural electrification, access the relevance of small-scale solar PV solutions in rural livelihood and determine if the community solar system project is worth recommending as national standard for rural electricity supply. The evaluation results reveal that frequent damage of syst...
In recent years, off-grid small-scale renewable energy technologies, particularly, solar PV syste... more In recent years, off-grid small-scale renewable energy technologies, particularly, solar PV systems have emerged as the plausible intervening solution for rural electricity supply in Ghana. However, the emerging solar PV solutions are exposed to the problem of being sustainable: after government and developing partners pull-out and hand over project to local users, the project only last few years of their life span. To investigate into this problem, the paper adopts a community solar system, a national project meant to be adopted as a standard for rural electrification in Ghana, for evaluation. Principal objectives of the paper are to identify the potential technical and socio-economic barriers of solar PV rural electrification, access the relevance of small-scale solar PV solutions in rural livelihood and determine if the community solar system project is worth recommending as national standard for rural electricity supply. The evaluation results reveal that frequent damage of syst...
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Papers by Michael Acquah